TOYOTA DEMANDS COLLECTIVE EFFORT BY AGENCIES

LONDON - Toyota Motor Europe has asked its seven ad agencies in Europe to contribute creative ideas for next year's $70 million launch campaign for the Yaris supermini.

In an unusual approach, called the Toyota Advertising Network, the agencies will be required to work together on the launch, no matter which agency's creative work is chosen by Toyota's marketing committee this summer.

'The agencies have been given a single brief and are expected to come back in the next four weeks with the first proposals,' said Andy Pfeiffenberger, a Toyota marketing executive in Brussels.

Juan-Jose Diaz Ruiz, head of sales, marketing and strategic planning at Toyota Motor Europe, brought the concept with him from Audi.

He was recruited in February from the Volkswagen subsidiary. His Audi Advertising Network concept inspired much-praised international ads.

Toyota was already working with Saatchi & Saatchi in six European markets and at Toyota's European headquarters in Brussels.

Toyota is Saatchi's biggest client worldwide. But Diaz Ruiz said he prefers to work with a group of creative agencies in different markets, including German agency BMZ!/FCA in Duesseldorf, Dutch agency Catchline and Egebert in Denmark, as well as Saatchi.

Diaz Ruiz said the agencies' ideas will be presented to the creative committee, which is made up of Toyota's Brussels-based European management and key European distributors.

'By the end of July, we'll have a clear idea,' he said. 'We want to tap the talents of all our agencies.'

All the agencies will work in their markets on the chosen campaign as well as on point-of-sale materials for dealerships and a prelaunch teaser campaign. Grey-Direct, in London, will handle direct marketing.

The Yaris will be launched next year. It will be imported from Japan until production can be switched to a new plant in France in 2001.